Candidates showcase compassion, reach out to nation's poor
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Democratic presidential hopefuls the Rev. Al Sharpton, left, and Sen. John Kerry during a presidential forum Friday in Columbia, South Carolina.
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CNN's Soledad O'Brien talks with Al Sharpton about strategy.
CNN's Candy Crowely on the debate In South Carolina.
CNN's Kelly Wallace on John Kerry in the South.
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SPECIAL REPORT
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COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) -- Four days before South Carolina voters join electors in seven states to choose a presidential nominee, six of the Democratic candidates took to the Columbia's Township Auditorium stage one at a time to showcase their compassion.
In a forum unlike any other so far in their campaigns, Democratic presidential hopefuls -- all but Sen. Joe Lieberman -- listened to heart-wrenching stories Friday from people who have struggled with poverty -- and they battled over who has the strongest plan to overhaul the U.S. economy.
They were questioned by a panel of people from throughout the country billed as representing "America's families." Several panelists wept as they told their stories and questioned the men on their economic platforms.
The crowd was mostly African-American -- a key demographic, since as much as half the state's Democratic electorate is black. Front-runner Sen. John Kerry and Sen. John Edwards, who was born in the state, are in a tight battle for the lead in South Carolina, but all the candidates are hoping for some of its 45 delegates.
Wesley Clark thanked a crying woman for sharing her story of losing her grandson to illness after being unable to cover medical expenses.
The retired general promised he would "guarantee health insurance for every child in America," and announced that his very first action as president would be to sign an order allowing Americans to order prescription drugs from Canada.
"This is the wealthiest country in the world," he said. The United States has "plenty of money" to provide health care for all, he said. "We just have to have some leadership to do it. That's why I'm running."
Edwards, who followed Clark onstage, heard from a woman whose son died in Iraq after he joined the Army because he couldn't find a job in South Carolina. Edwards took her hand in his: "Thank you for what you've done," he said. "God bless you."
Edwards cited parts of his economic platform, including raising the minimum wage and restructuring trade arrangements.
Asked whether he, a wealthy former trial lawyer, can relate to those less fortunate, he replied: "The life that I have led is the dream that's being shut off for so many Americans every single day."
He described his roots before being cut off for time by the moderator. "You have to let me finish, you asked me the question," Edwards said to applause and cheers. Turning back to the crowd, he said, "I grew up the way you grew up, I come from the same place, I spent 20 years in courtrooms fighting for you against big corporate America, against big insurance companies. I will never forget where I come from, and you can take that to the bank."
Kerry briefly hugged a woman who told the story of her father, a Mexican immigrant, who struggled to help the family get by but never got his dream of citizenship.
"I understand that," he told her. "That shouldn't happen. And I am in favor of a program that brings people out of the shadows and treats people decently. We need an earned legalization program. ... I think we need a guest worker program, but not President George Bush's program, which is one for exploitation of working people in America."
Kerry said, "I have never seen the economy of our country as unfair as it is today," when people are "working harder and longer," but many remain impoverished. The "greatest progress" has been made, he said, "when Democratic presidents opened the doors of opportunity."
"If you liked the eight years of the economy under Bill Clinton, you're going to love the first four years under John Kerry -- because we're going to repeat the same thing."
Dean touts his record
Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who is hoping to regain his front-runner status after a third-place finish behind Kerry and Edwards in the Iowa caucuses and a second-place showing behind Kerry in the New Hampshire primary, told the crowd, "Luckily, I'm a governor -- so I get to tell you what I've already done not just what I'm going to do."
He said Vermont will have a $7-per-hour minimum wage next year, everyone in the state under 18 has health insurance, and many of its seniors have prescription drug benefits.
"We are going to eliminate poverty in the United States of America in the next 20 years, and we're going to eliminate poverty for children in the United States of America by 2010."
A high school junior told him how much more difficult it is for children from poor families to attend college and asked, "Are we in danger of creating a permanent class system?"
"As long as George Bush is president, we are going to create a permanent class system," Dean answered. "And we're going to change that as soon as we can. What George Bush has done is give our money to his friends paying for his re-election. He made it impossible for people like you to go to college."
Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina: "I will never forget where I come from."
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Dean promised to enact new legislation helping all the nation's young people attend college.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, the only African-American in the race, got the greatest applause from the crowd.
"We must have unequivocal commitments to public education," he said, promising to "guarantee equal education to all students."
"We cannot afford to put billions of dollars into foreign adventures while we watch schools crumble in the United States, " Sharpton said.
He railed against "tax cuts to billionaires and multinational corporations" and said he would enact new legislation to help [businesses] hire within their communities. "That's real entrepreneurship," he said.
Lambasting trade policies that he said have sent jobs overseas, Sharpton used a reference to his slave ancestors. "I got here as an African because of bad trade policy. I'm against bad trade policy now," he said. The crowd was on its feet.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich -- who is at the bottom of the pack along with Sharpton -- described his own humble beginnings. "My parents never owned a home. By the time I was 17 years old we had lived in 21 different places, including a couple of cars."
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Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio advocates creating a Department of Peace.
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After hearing a long story from a woman who was a victim of domestic violence and now helps run an agency assisting homeless women and children, Kucinich praised her as "someone who didn't quit."
"When it comes to issues of domestic violence, we need to look at causes, not just treating effects," he said. "That's the reason I've advocated creating a Department of Peace, to make non-violence an organizing principle in our society."
He said he'd enact a plan to help "every young person of college age go to a two-year or four-year college for free," by getting rid of Bush's "$87 billion tax cuts that went to the wealthy."
He described a new public works program that would create millions of jobs and a day-care plan that would help save parents between $5,000 and $7,000.
"It's about our priorities, it's about our priorities, it's about our priorities," he repeated.
